Gumball machine coin bank

ABSTRACT

The entire gumball dispensing operating mechanism comprises a subassembly of plastic parts stacked upon a single post which is bifurcated to provide a spring catch to hold all of the parts together. This mechanism, fully assembled as a complete subassembly, is snapped into a housing with which it cooperates in the proper feeding and dispensing of the gumballs.

United States Patent [1 1 Phipps GUMBALL MACHINE COIN BANK Cornelius M.Phipps, Glen Ellyn, 111.

Superior Toy Manufacturing Co., Inc., Chicago, 111.

Mar. 5, 1973 Inventor:

Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

[52] US. Cl 194/85, 221/281, 221/265 [51] Int. Cl. G07f 11/50 [58] Fieldof Search 194/85, 84, 91, 75, 63;

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,192,019 7/1916 Taylor221/287 X 1,981,931 11/1934 Vogel et a1. 194/85 2,694,480 11/1954 Mason194/85 3,413,021 ll/l968 Potts 29/453 11] 3,810,535 [451 May 14,1974

3,419,198 12/1968 Pettersen 222/563 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS265,462 8/1965 Australia 194/85 Primary Examiner-Robert B. ReevesAssistant Examiner-C. A. Marmor Attorney, Agent,- or FirmDarbo,Robertson & Vandenburgh [57] ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures 1GUMBALL MACHINE COIN BANK BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONDispensing machines which depend upon a coin for coupling the manuallyoperated actuating mechanism with the dispensing control elementscomprise relatively complicated mechanisms and are, therefore, quiteexpensive. The mounting of the various parts within a supporting andcontaining housing involve costly labor operations. For these reasons,suitable gumball machines have not been adaptable to the toy field.

The object of the present invention is to provide a dependable gumballdispensing machine which is very inexpensive and therefore commerciallyfeasible for sale and use for non-commercial purposes, such as toys oras coin banks. More particularly stated, the object of the invention isto provide a gumball dispensing coin bank comprised of parts all ofwhich may be made of plastic and which maybe assembled with a minimum oflabor cost. i

The achievements and advantages of the invention will become more fullyapparent as the description thereof proceeds in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thegumballdispensing coin bank of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 2 2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view, partly in cross section, taken at the line 3 3 of FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 4 DESCRIPTION OFSPECIFIC EMBODIMENT The gumball dispensing coin bank comprises a housing1 which supports a globe 2 and within which'the dispensing subassembly 3is mounted and a bottom closure 4. All parts may be made of plastic.

Globe 2, which is preferably transparent, is formed from hemispheres 5and 6 cemented together at its equator 7. Hemisphere 6 is open at itsbottom and is provided with a cylindrical flange 8 by which the globe issecured to the housing.

The top of housing 1 is recessed to receive flange 8 of the globe whichis cemented in position. An opening 9 provides a passageway for thegumballs from the supply globe to the dispensing mechanism below. Flange10 which is integral with and depends from the top of the housing servesas a barrier in the assembled dispenser to control and direct themovement of the gumballs from the globe to the proper feeding locationof the dispensing mechanism as will be explained as the descriptionproceeds. Post 11, also integral with the housing, serves as a detent tohold the transfer rotor in normal ready position as will be seen.

The gumball dispensing subassembly 3 is shown in cross section in FIG. 3and in the exploded view of FIG. 8. It comprises a floor 12, an actuator13 and transfer rotor 14, all assembled upon and held together by post15. In the assembled gumball dispensing machine, floor 12 is stationarywhile transfer rotor 14 and actuator 13 rotate as required about post15.

Floor 12 has a circular opening 16 which is large enough to permitgumballs to pass therethrough in filling the globe. Radial slot 17extends inwardly from the periphery of the floor sufficiently toaccommodate the largest coin which the machine is designed to accept.For example, if the machine is to operate with pennies, nickels anddimes, the length of slot 17 would be slightly greater than the diameterof a nickel. A trough 18, which may slope downwardly somewhat from itsinner end and which terminates in a recess 19 adapted to receive adispensed gumball pending manual removal is formed as an integral partof floor 12. A hole is provided at the center of the floor and acylindrical ferrule 20 rises to a predetermined height from theperiphery of this central opening.

Actuator 13 comprises an arcuate segment having a platform 21 whichextends to the center of the segment where it is provided with anopening 22 which is somewhat larger in diameter than the outsidediameter of the base of ferrule 20. A cylindrical flange 23 rises fromthe periphery of platform 21, the radius of this flange being somewhatless than the radius of floor 12. A radial coin socket 24 is formed asan integral part of the actuator and leads to a radial slot 25 ofsufficient length to" accept the largest coin which the dispenser isadapted to receive.

The transfer rotor 14 is provided with five holes 26 which are largerthan the gumballs and which are spaced apart equal angular distances.Between each pair of holes 26 a relatively short radial slot 27 extendsinwardly from the periphery of the rotor. An opening 28 is provided atthe center of the rotor for post 15. A cylindrical skirt 29 which has aninside diameter greater than that of opening 28 depends from the rotorat its center, leaving a flange 28a extending inwardly at the top of theskirt as a circular shoulder designed to rest upon the top of ferrule20.

As is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 8, post 15 is provided with a conicalhead 30 the outside diameter of which is sufficiently greater than thatof the post immediately under the head to provide a catch to hold theassembly together. The post may be integral with or cemented to a flatarm 31 which, as will be seen, serves as a door to close till opening16. A stop 32, is adapted to seat in opening 16 to keep the openingnormally closed.

Post 15 is bifurcated to permit the two halves to be squeezed togetherat the top of the post so that it may pass through opening 28 inassembling the dispensing mechanism. Assembly is accomplished asfollows: Floor 12 is placed upon post 15 with stop 32 arranged inopening 16. Actuator 13 is then placed in position upon the floor l2,ferrule 20 extending up through opening 22. The transfer rotor 14 isthen forced down upon the post, the two legs of the bifurcated postspringing apart after the rotor is down in position with theundersurface of flange 28a in contact with the top of ferrule 20. Thesubassembly is thus locked together and ready for mounting in thehousing.

The upper portion 33 of housing 1 is provided with a widecircumferential slot 34 through which coin socket 24 protrudes and maymove in operating the machine. A radial slot 35 in the housing permitsthe passage of a coin when the coin socket is in alignment with it.

Trough 18 extends out through an opening 36 in the lower portion 37 ofthe housing.

Three equally angularly spaced catches 38 (FIG. 3) are providedintegrally with the housing to retain the floor 12 of the dispensersubassembly in position against the undersurface of the shoulder 39which is formed at the juncture of the upper and lower portions of thehousing. Three equally angularly spaced lugs 40 are provided at the verybottom of the housing to cooperate with catches 41 which are provided atthe periphery to housing bottom closure 4 in fastening the latter to thehousing. A flange 42 serves to position the closure upon the open bottomof the housing.

To provide a key opening and closing operation for the coin bank, aplastic key 43 (FIGS. 3 and 7) having a pair of spaced lugs 44 isprovided for engaging openings 45 in bottom closure 4 to rotate theclosure in either locking it in position or removing it. A recess 46 ismolded in bottom closure 4 for storage of the key when not in use. Lugs44 extend through openings in the side of the recess to hold the key inplace and the recess is extended at 47 to permit access to the top ofthe key to remove the same. The key is shown reposing in recess 46 inFIGS. 3 and 7 and is also shown in dotdash lines in position forentering the openings 45 in FIG. ,3.

To mount the dispensing mechanism subassembly in the housing it is onlynecessary to place it in position with the coin socket and troughextending through slot 34 and opening 36, respectively, and forcing thefloor along the inclinedsurfaces of catches 38 until the subassemblysnaps into position with the catches 38 supporting the underside of thefloor. The gumballs in the globe are confined by the dispensersubassembly and when the bottom closure has been locked into position tocomplete the money receptacle, the gumball dispenser coin bank is readyfor operation.

In upright position, a supply of gumballs in the globe and the actuatorin the position shown in FIG. 2; that is, as far to the right as the endof slot 34 will permit, gumballs, such as 48 and 49, FIGS. 2 and 4, willgravitate into the holes 26 of transfer rotor 14 and coin socket 24 islined up with slot 35 in the housing. When At each extreme position ofthe actuator shown, respectively, in FIGS. 2 and 4, the end of detentpost 11 extends into a slot 27 to hold the transfer rotor in theresulting position subject to the application of sufficient force toovercome the detent and turn the rotor to the next station position. Asis indicated in FIG. 4, detent post 11 is in position in a slot 27 whencoin slot 25 is in position directly over slot 17. When the actuator isreturned to the normal ready position for the next dispensing operation,the rotor is held against movement by the detent post. At this readyposition of the actuator, coin socket 24 is again in alignment with slot35 and with a slot 27 so that another coin may be inserted to couple theactuator with the rotor.

Because the rotor is somewhat flexible and the end of the detent post 11is provided with an inclined cam surface 51 (FIG. 5), the rotor may bereleased from the detent position without undue force and the rotorslides along under the end of the detent post until the latter entersthe next slot in the transfer rotor.

To remove accumulated coins and/or refill the globe of the machine withgumballs, bottom closure 4 is re moved by rotating it by means of key 43to release it from the supporting catches. If the supply of gumballs isto be replenished, the machine, with the bottom closure removed, isinverted and arm 31 which normally closes fill opening 16 is pushed tothe side as indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 6. The gumballs are thenfed a coin, such as coin 50 shown in dotted lines in FIGS.- I

2 and 4, is inserted into the socket 24, it falls down into positionwith part of the coin remaining within the socket and part resting in aslot 27 of the transfer rotor. The coin thus couples the coin socket 24of actuator 13 with the transfer rotor 14 so that when the coin socketis then manually moved to the left to the extent permitted by slot 34the rotor is rotated through the same angle. At this location, coin slot25 lies exactly above slot 17 in floor 12 so that the coin falls throughthe latter into the coin box at the bottom of the housing. At thisposition, shown in FIG. 4, gumball 48 is still resting upon platform 21of the actuator but is released and falls into trough 18 as coin socket24, without the coin, is moved back to the beginning position at theright end of slot 24. The'gumball rolls out to the recess 19 where itrests until picked up.

through the fill opening and fall into the globe through the hole 26which is in alignment with the fill hole (see FIG. 3). The opening isthen again closed by arm 31 and bottom closure 4 replaced. The machineis then again ready for operation.

I claim:

1. In a gumball dispensing machine including a housing and a globemounted thereon and opening thereinto and a dispensing mechanism mountedin the housing; the improvement wherein the dispensing mechanism is aunitary subassembly adapted to be mounted in the housing and comprising:a circular floor having a central opening therein and a ferrule risingfrom said central opening at the periphery thereof; said floor having acoin slot extending radially inwardly from the periphery of said floorand a gumball receiving trough extending outwardly from the central'portion of said floor; an actuator including a platform having anopening therein about which said actuator is adapted to rotate and acoin socket arranged radially at the periphery of said actuatorincluding a slot in said platform extending radially inwardly from saidsocket; a circular transfer rotor having a central opening therein, aplurality of equally angularly spaced gumball receiving openings and anequal number of detent elements equally spaced apart at the periphery ofsaid rotor; and a center post; said center post being headed andbifurcated to form a pair of spring legs and the diameter of the centralopening in said transfer rotor is less than the normal diameter of thehead of said center post whereby said rotor may be forced upon said postforcing said spring legs together and said head engages the top of saidrotor to hold the subassembly together when said rotor .is located belowthe head on said post; said floor, actuator and rotor being stacked uponand held together in operative relationship by said center post.

2. Structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the head of the centerpost is conical whereby the spring legs are forced together as the rotoris forced down upon the post in assembling the dispensing mechanismsubassembly. W V

3. Structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the actuator is in theform of an arcuate segment and the floor of the dispensing mechanismsubassembly has a gumball fill opening therein located remote from saidplatform and in alignment with one of the openings in the transfer rotorwhen said rotor is in normal detent held position. and including closuremeans for said fill opening comprising an arm [is] integral withthecenter post and extending from the bottom of said post to cover saidfill opening, said arm and post being rotatable about the axis of thepost to uncover sL jll aeni -m actuator including a platform having anopening therein about which said actuator is'adapted to rotate and acoin socket arranged radially at the periphery of said actuatorincluding a slot in said platform extending radially inwardly from saidsocket; a circular transfer rotor having a central opening therein, aplurality of equally angularly spaced gumball receiving openings andan-equal number of detent elements equally spaced apart at the peripheryof said rotor; said transfer rotor including a coaxial circular skirtdepending from the underside thereof, the inside diameter of said skirtbeing greater than the diameter of the central opening in said rotor toprovide a flange adapted to bear upon the top of the ferrule of thefloor; and a center post; said center post being headed and bifurcatedto 'form a pair of spring legs and the diameter of the central openingin said transfer rotor is less than the normal diameter of the head ofsaid center post whereby said rotor may be forced upon said post forcingsaid spring legs together and said head engages the top of said rotor tohold the subassembly together when said rotor is located below the headon said post; said floor, actuator and rotor being stacked upon and heldtogether in operative relationship by said center post.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No,3,810,535 D d May 14, 1974 Inventor) Cornelius M. Phipps It is certifiedthat error appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The correct name of the assignee is:

Superior Toy & Manufacturing Co., Inc.--

In the heading, "9 Claims" should read: 4 Claims-- Col. 3, line 17,before "housing", "to" should read --of-- Col. 3, line 65, after "slot""24" should read-34-- Col. 5, line 10, delete [is] Signed and sealedthis 29th day of April. 1975.

(SEAL) t Attes C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of PatentsAttesting Officer and Trademarks FORM PO-105O (10-69) U'COMM-DCUOS1G'PUQ IL. GOVIIIIIINT PRINTING OFI'ICI I... O-Ill-Sll.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 9 3d May 14, 1974- Inventor(s) Cornelius M. Phipps It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The correct name of the assignee is:

"Superior Toy & Manufacturing Co., Inc."

In the heading, "9 Claims" should read: "4 Claims" Col. 3, line 17,before "housing" "to" should read "of" Col. 3, line 65, after "slot""24" should read "34" Col. 5, line 10, delete [is] Signed and sealedthis 5th day of November 1974.

(SEAL) Att est:

McCOY n. GIBSON JR. 0. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner ofPatents ORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM-DC 6O376-P69 U.54 GOVERNMENT PRINTINGOFFICE Ill 0-366-334,

1. In a gumball dispensing machine including a housing and a globemounted thereon and opening thereinto and a dispensing mechanism mountedin the housing; the improvement wherein the dispensing mechanism is aunitary subassembly adapted to be mounted in the housing and comprising:a circular floor having a central opening therein and a ferrule risingfrom said central opening at the periphery thereof; said floor having acoin slot extending radially inwardly from the periphery of said floorand a gumball receiving trough extending outwardly from the centralportion of said floor; an actuator including a platform having anopening therein about which said actuator is adapted to rotate and acoin socket arranged radially at the periphery of said actuatorincluding a slot in said platform extending radially inwardly from saidsocket; a circular transfer rotor having a central opening therein, aplurality of equally angularly spaced gumball receiving openings and anequal number of detent elements equally spaced apart at the periphery ofsaid rotor; and a center post; said center post being headed andbifurcated to form a pair of spring legs and the diameter of the centralopening in said transfer rotor is less than the normal diameter of thehead of said center post whereby said rotor may be forced upon said postforcing said spring legs together and said head engages the top of saidrotor to hold the subassembly together when said rotor is located belowthe head on said post; said floor, actuator and rotor being stacked uponand held together in operative relationship by said center post. 2.Structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the head of the center postis conical whereby the spring legs are forced together as the rotor isforced down upon the post in assembling the dispensing mechanismsubassembly.
 3. Structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein theactuator is in the form of an arcuate segment and the floor of thedispensing mechanism subassembly has a gumball fill opening thereinlocated remote from said platform and in alignment with one of theopenings in the transfer rotor when said rotor is in normal detent heldposition, and including closure means for said fill opening comprisingan arm integral with the center post and extending from the bottom ofsaid post to cover said fill opening, said arm and post being rotatableabout the axis of the post to uncover said fill opening.
 4. In a gumballdispensing machine including a housing and a globe mounted thereon andopening thereinto and a dispensing mechanism mounted in the housing; theimprovement wherein the dispensing mechanism is a unitary subassemblyadapted to be mounted in the housing and comprising: a circular floorhaving a central opening therein and a ferrule rising from said centralopening at the periphery thereof; said floor having a coin slotextending radially inwardly from the periphery of said floor and agumball receiving trough extending outwardly from the central portion ofsaid floor; an actuator including a platform having an opening thereinabout which said actuator is adapted to rotate and a coin socketarranged radially at the periphery of said actuator including a slot insaid platform extending radially inwardly from said socket; a circulartransfer rotor having a central opening therein, a plurality of equallyangularly spaced gumball receiving openings and an equal number ofdetent elements equally spaCed apart at the periphery of said rotor;said transfer rotor including a coaxial circular skirt depending fromthe underside thereof, the inside diameter of said skirt being greaterthan the diameter of the central opening in said rotor to provide aflange adapted to bear upon the top of the ferrule of the floor; and acenter post; said center post being headed and bifurcated to form a pairof spring legs and the diameter of the central opening in said transferrotor is less than the normal diameter of the head of said center postwhereby said rotor may be forced upon said post forcing said spring legstogether and said head engages the top of said rotor to hold thesubassembly together when said rotor is located below the head on saidpost; said floor, actuator and rotor being stacked upon and heldtogether in operative relationship by said center post.